New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-06-20
WESTERN HE14.

Unless the East understands tho west, ltS
purposes and the meaning Of It's policy, the
two sections can never work In harmony for
the common good. Where it is necessary to
combat Western errors, the effort can be sue
cessful only if the real thought Of the West
is comprehendcd Where the progressive and
independent men Of the West have the better
and broader ideas respecting the common in
tercst, they Will not meet at the East the ap
probation and acceptance which are necessary
for the best good of all unless Eastern peO-
pie strive to understand fully and kindly whah
Western men think and what they want. The
remarks Of Senator Plumb published in The
TRIBUNE a few days ago ought to be of the
highest value, because they disclose moro
fully than any other speech or document for
some years past the lines of Western thought.
You of the scaboard differ from US, he says
mainly because you are unable to escape from
scrvitude to European ideas, European in
tercsts and habits. AS to most Eastern Jour
mails and statesmen, the remark is perfectly
true. British theories Of free trade for in
stance, are accepted with slavish servility
by journals Of many commercial cities, and
taught by professors in many Eastern colleges,
and faint Eastern thought to degree that is
indeed dscreditable. So British and German
ideas of monomctalsm have warped and per
verted Eastern beliefs regarding the silver
problem, so far that even the widest Western
mistakes are not further from the truth than
the teachings Of many Eastern journals and
professors. Hostility to the improvement and
development Of tho great interior waterways
is mistake of the same sort; because some
boY how lya1 wifi,
rascallv jobs. or because some lines of railway
owned at the East would suffer from cOmpe-
tition with water ways properly improved, too
many men at the East have been prone to
oppose all internal Improvements and all
river and harbor bills
But the Senator's remarks cast flood OF
light on Western errors also He makes it
entirely clear that the policy cmb odicd in tie
Interstate bill is largely prompted by desire
to build up water routes and especially lines
of communication with the Gulf and the lower
Mississippi, by hampcring and Gripping rail
roads to Eastern seapOitS. Thus he says.
"Onc of the first effects Of the provision
against discrimination rs to through frcights
will be to compel shipments Of grain for for
cign and also mcaSurably for local markets.
to strike the first available water courses
Hence he thinks the law is destined to give
importance to the Mississippi and Missouri
rivers as channels of communication to the
scaports." Perhaps millions Of men at the
West have this idea and moro or less uncon-
sciously have acted upOn 1t, but not many have
clearly avowcd it. Obviously it means that
railroads shall lie prevented from carrying
through freight as chcaplv rs they have done
or can do in order that the water routes may
be preferred.
Is that policy good for the WoSt or the
country Is it in the long run desirable 10
uyc the less direct and mere costly mode Of
transportation merely because 1t utllizcS flow
ing water instead Of iron rails, and natural
resources instead Of invested capital or
course. if the railroads cannot afford cheaper
transportation, tune and safety considered
than given water route. no provision against
discrimination would be necessary TO compel
shipments Of grain to strike the first available
water course" But in cases where they can
offer the cheapest transportation all thlog'
considered what does the West gain by insist
INC upon the mode which is not the cheapest
What does the country grnq The Senator
will answer no doubt "ProviSiOn against un-
due charges for local transportation TO cover
the cost Of through transportation at loss.
Very well, if that is the only aim, the Inter
state law needs to be greatly modified, so that
while preventing transportation of through
at the expense of local freight, IL shall not at
the same time prevent natural and proper
competition between railroad and water roulc-.
or between our own and Canadian railroads.
Precisely there Is the Western error. 1t Is an
absurd mistake to deprive the country of cheap
through tansI Ortalion in order TO get reason
able rates for local fIcghts 1t is an absurd
mistake to prohibit railroads from carrying
freight more cheaply than water routes.
wherever they can